Ross keeps Padres in a game that gets away

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross throws to the plate against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game on Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
— AP

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Tyson Ross throws to the plate against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game on Saturday, April 6, 2013, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
/ AP

DENVER  He was the new kid off the trading block, but also a bit of a mystery man. The only thing the Padres really knew first-hand about Tyson Ross was how well he pitched when the games didn’t count.

This one counted. Against the Padres, ultimately.

Ross didn't work terribly fast or with particular efficiency, but the tall right-hander did enough to settle down baseball’s mightiest opening-week lineup and even maintained a 1-1 game at Coors Field through his 96 pitches. As soon as Ross came out of the game in the fifth inning, though, things went real wrong in a hurry for a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Rockies.

One Sunday matinee away from ending this season-opening road trip, the Padres are 1-4 and scoring an average of 2.6 runs per game, the last two played against one of baseball’s least-reputable pitching staffs at 5,280 feet.

Returning to form before Ross had finished being congratulated in the dugout, the Rockies dinked three RBI singles off beleaguered relief pitcher Brad Brach, then made a still-close contest a lot less close with Michael Cuddyer’s two-run homer off Andrew Cashner in the seventh.

The homer was the 11th by Colorado’s offense in five games. Already, and prematurely, local comparisons are being made to the “Blake Street Bombers” who used to blast baseballs out of Coors Field with resounding regularity.

“We want to intimidate teams here,” said new Rockies manager Walt Weiss. “This can be one of the best home-field advantages in the game.”

The Padres have made one complete rotation through their rotation, and of all the starters, the one who created the most curiosity was Ross. A pitcher who bounced back and forth between the Oakland Athletics and their Triple-A team the last three years, Ross was highly impressive in Cactus League play, and he managed to overcome himself to basically get the job done in his National League debut.

"He battled, he really did," said manager Bud Black. "The first inning (34 pitches) put him behind the 8-ball, but he kept us in there. We saw it in spring training. There's a poise there. He's confident, a clear-thinker. What we saw tonight was what we saw in the spring. I like the fact that he didn't do anything different tonight."

Ross walked four and threw two wild pitches, but the hard-hitting Rockies had trouble making decent contact on him. As the Mets had in their struggle with Padres left-hander Eric Stults, the Rockies hit foul after foul off Ross, who also showed a knack for escaping trouble.

"I was so focused on keeping it down," he said. "I think I was trying to be too fine and threw too many walks. But, except for getting the pitch count up, it felt great out there."

The Padres couldn't get away from another error by shortstop Everth Cabrera, whose misplay on a grounder led to three unearned runs in a 5-2 loss Friday. On th last pitch thrown by Ross, Cabrera again couldn't find the handle on a grounder, and three more Rockies runs ensued.

Dexter Fowler welcomed him immediately with a single and Ross walked Carlos Gonzalez before Cuddyer drove home the run with a single. A wild pitch put Gonzalez on third, but Ross got Todd Helton to ground out to end the rally.

Likewise, the Padres tied the game with a fourth-inning outburst that had the potential for much more than the one run. Loading the bases on starter Jon Garland with no outs, the Padres got Carlos Quentin home with Amarista beating out a double-play relay. That’s all they got, though, when Cameron Maybin also hit a double-play ball that the Rockies converted.

With no outs in the fifth and his 96th pitch of the game, Ross got a grounder from Josh Rutledge that Cabrera went to backhand. The ball skipped off Cabrera’s glove, however.

"Again, it looked like he tried to be a little quick," said Black. "Rutledge is a fast runner, but you've got to catch the ball first, then make the play."

Carlos Gonzalez approached the plate before manager Bud Black came out to get the ball from Ross. The first pitch in relief from Brad Brach was flicked into shallow right-center by Gonzalez for an RBI single. His fourth delivery was similarly dumped into shallow right to make it 3-1. And then there was a final run-scoring flare by Cuddyer.

"First time in my career I've ever seen three in a row like that," said Brach, who gave up a grand slam on Opening Day. "None of them were hard-hit balls. If they hit it hard, it's an out."

The Padres have their only rookie to thank for two additional runs. Jedd Gyorko followed Carlos Quentin’s third double in two games with an RBI ground-out in the sixth, making it 4-2, and Gyorko’s eighth-inning double into right scored Chris Denorfia.